I warmly welcome referrals from GPs and if you’re considering referring your patient for psychotherapy I want you to feel free to call me and ask about my style of work. Your patient is under your primary care and I respect your concern for their wellbeing, which includes you having confidence in the referrals you make.

Practical things you may want to know:

I am a psychologist by training, educated to full-time Master’s Level. I am also a psychotherapist and supervisor of psychotherapists, counsellors and psychologists (for a brief outline of the differences between these terms please read here). As a psychologist my background is academic and research as well as practice based. My Masters Thesis investigated psychosomatic illness and its comorbidity with condition called alexithymia. This was my 5 year full time ‘core’ training and included training in EMDR, CBT as well as other modes of psychotherapeutic intervention. I have completed various other shorter trainings in Play Therapy, Reality Therapy, Trauma Therapy, HIV/Sex-ed, Mindfulness and I am professionally required by my accrediting bodies to complete further trainings annually (CPD).

Some points to note to help you decide if I might be a suitable referral for your patient:

• I’m aware that some therapists require clients to attend weekly sessions. I do not. If the client wishes to attend weekly I will do my best to facilitate them. The client is and will remain in charge of how often they attend.
• I work with people of all ages and have a particular interest and expertise in therapy with teenagers. This work often involves facilitating communication with parents and the family unit as a while.  I may occasionally ask that the parents themselves refer back to you for onward referral for psychological support of their own. So while I do work with family groups, I don’t work with parents and children as separate entities concurrently. I liaise with school guidance services, local youth services and the Gardaí if necessary.
• As standard I require all my clients to complete a consent form allowing me to contact their GP. It is rare, in fact, that I am required to do this, but I have done so. I also ask for details of psychiatrists so that I can write to the psychiatrist to inform them that their patient is now also working with me.
• As required by my code of ethics I will make contact with you and /or their psychiatrist if I believe the client is engaging in risk taking or life threatening behaviours. I will encourage our mutual patient/client to do similarly.
• (If the client is a minor I will contact their parents as well as you.)
• If I have child protection concerns I will contact the HSE.
• I am happy to work therapeutically with patients who are on psychiatric medication. I may wish to speak with you about choice of medication and how it’s helping the client in his’her daily life. In particular I find it useful to work as a ‘team’ with GPs should the client express a desire to come off medication like SSRI’s or anti-anxiety meds. It is my belief that GP’s and therapists would do well to work more often together with the common interest of our mutual clients’ wellbeing.
• Sometimes for whatever reason a referral to me may not seem the right ‘fit’. If this is the case please do feel free to contact me regarding onward referrals. I have by now built up a large list of qualified and trusted colleagues to whom I am happy to refer!

Any other questions? Please fell free to call or mail me or complete this form: